While a group of visiting cadets are assisting with an investigation into regional gravimetric distortions, their ship becomes damaged and they find themselves in a precarious position where they will have to use all the resources they can scrape together to survive.
Cold Open/Prelude
The USS Farsight, an Obena class, docks at Starbase 88. Down at the docking ring, Shilov stands in the corridor opposite the airlock. He straightens his uniform and ensures that everything is completely proper. As the airlock opens, the form of a tall older Vulcan male strides out of the air lock and stops in front of Shilov. Holding up the standard Vulcan salute, he addresses Shilov. ”It is agreeable to see you again Rear-Admiral Shilov.”
Shilov returns the salute and nods. “It is Rear-Admiral Turm. I understand you are now the Commandante Cadets at Starfleet Academy.”
”Indeed,” replies Turm lifting both eye brows, which is about as close as a Vulcan gets to smiling. “It has been a rather pleasant tenure so far.”
”So what brings you to the Gauntlet?” asks Shilov.
”I wish to discuss an arrangement with you regarding Starfleet Academy,” Turm says as he folds his arms behind his back. Shilov gestures down the corridor for them to begin walking towards the nearest turbolift. Turm follows as the two admirals depart the airlock.
”It is my understanding that this station is overseeing the development of the next generation of propulsion system,” states Turm.
”It is,” replies Shilov.
”I think it would be most logical to establish an Academy presence on the station to enable hands on training with the new systems. Wouldn’t you agree Admiral?” asks Turm.
”It would make a lot of sense,” starts Shilov. “Though it would take a few months before another proper starship sized drive for the new slipstream drive could be built and installed on a new vessel.”
Turm nods in understanding as the two admirals enter the turbolift as it’s doors part.
”OPS,” commands Shilov and the turbolift begins to move to it’s destination.
”I also have another matter which I’d like to discuss,” says Turm. “I have a group of senior cadets with me which need to perform some field studies as part of their course work. Would you be able to spare a runabout for them to complete their assignment?”
”Absolutely Admiral. You can instruct your cadets to use the Mojave at docking pad 3. I’ll have my flight crew prepare it for launch,” offers Shilov “ and I have just the officer to accompany them for evaluation.”
Turm nods in thanks. “Thank you. I’ll notify them to prepare for their field mission.”
The turbolift arrives at it’s destination. Shilov and Turm exit into the operations center. Shilov allows Turm a moment to take in the view of OPS before motioning to his office on the opposite side of the room. Turm follows Shilov to his office and they enter.
Act 1
Admiral’s Log Stardate 79498.46
Rear-Admiral Turm has arrive at the Gauntlet to discuss establishing a Starfleet Academy presence on the station. While he and I talk over details, a group of his senior cadets will be borrowing one of our runabouts to study some near by gravimetric distortions as part of their final assignment. Turm has agreed to let Commander Ebesin join the mission to observe and report on the cadets activities.
Scene 1 USS Mojave
Scene Traits: Small craft interior, docked
Commander Ebesin sits near an aft console as she observes the group of five cadets doing the pre-flight check list for the *Danube-*class Runabout. A rose colored female Saurian cadet named Vk’cht’tk, (or Victoria as her fellow cadets call her,) sits at the helm station and prepares the engines for take off. A young male Xindi-Arboreal named Gralik Durr sits at the science station, performing a diagnostic on the ship’s sensor array. A male Trill named Kyl Hama is checking the medical kits on board to ensure they are properly stocked while Ekoor Rin, the Cardassian cadet in charge of security for the group, is running a check on the shields and transporter systems after he completed his check of the shuttle’s small complement of side-arms. The last member of the group, team leader Milina-Summ, a female Grazerite, sits in the co-pilot’s seat beside Victoria completing a final diagnostic on the shuttle’s warp core and EPS grids.
”Cadet Victoria, plot a course to the Sabryth system. Notify Starbase 88 of our flight plan.” commands Milina. Victoria nods before Milina continues. “Each section report.”
”Ship’s sensor array is fully functional and calibrated” replies Gralik.
”Medical supplies are fully stocked.” follows Kyl.
”Defensive systems are ready and equipment is safely stored.” reports Ekoor.
Milina nods before issuing her next orders. “Cadets take your stations. Victoria, signal Starbase 88 that we are ready to depart.”
The other cadets reply “Aye sir!” in unison as they each take their stations and a moment later the comms console beeps with an alert.
”Starbase 88 has cleared us for departure.” reports Victoria.
”Then take us out.” commands Milina.
Victoria begins the lift off procedure before piloting the ship away from the docking bay. (Victoria: Control + Conn (11) - success (4+19)) The flight is smooth as the craft exits the station and begins to create a safe distance to go to warp.
Ebesin was impressed with professionalism of the cadets. She made a note of it in her log.
Scene 2 Admiral Shilov’s Office (Gauntlet)
Scene Traits: Starbase interior, Admirals office
Shilov sat behind his desk while Turm sat opposite in one of the guest chairs. Both admirals were holding data padds.
”We’ll have to be sure to do a level 5 background check on each of the cadets being stationed here.” Shilov commented, scrolling on the data padd in his hand. “The developments made on the project require top secrete security clearance.”
”A prudent measure.” replied Turm as he handed Shilov the padd in his hand. “Here is a list of available vessels which can be retrofitted with the new drive system. If you could examine the list and provide any recommendations, I will take those back to Starfleet Command.”
Shilov took the offered padd and skimmed the list. There were a little over a dozen ships of different classes and service records. He became a little nostalgic when he noticed a Nova-class ship on the list. It called back memories of his time serving on the USS Kelly performing pathfinder and reconnaissance operations before the Dominion War had broken out. It was a state of the art ship back then. It was one of his earliest commands when he was still a fresh faced captain. He remembered trying to apply some of the command lessons he had learned from Captain T’Varis back when he served as her XO. That memory sparked an idea.
”Is T’Varis still running a training vessel for the academy?” inquired Shilov.
Turm furrowed his brow in thought for a second before responding. “I believe so. If I recall correctly, she is currently serving on board an Obena-class vessel performing training cruises with final year cadets. Though I don’t believe her ship is on the list of available ships.”
”An Obena-class ship is new enough that a retrofit could be done in a shorter turnaround. And her adaptability and creativity would make her a logical choice to be working along side the Pathfinder project. Wouldn’t you agree?” (Shilov: Presence + Command (14) - fail (15+20))
”As much as I am inclined to agree,” Turm begins pulling up some information on another data padd, “T’Varis’s ship is currently doing it’s training cruise out in the Bajor sector. It would take months for her ship to be redeployed to the Arcturus Reach.” Turm hands the padd to Shilov. It shows that T’Varis’s training run is not scheduled to end for another 3 months.
”Well then I’ll have to examine this list carefully and provide you with my recommendations.” Shilov replies holding up the other padd with the list of ships.
A chirp from Shilov’s communicator interrupts his meeting. Shilov taps it to activate the comm channel.
”Shilov here.” he starts.
”Anari, sir.” comes the warm voice of the Denobulan pilot overseeing the Gauntlet’s positioning as well as being the lead test pilot for the smaller scale tests of the slipstream drive. Shilov recalls that she is taking Ebesin’s place while she’s out with the cadets.
”Go ahead” replies Shilov.
”We’re receiving an incoming hail from an alien vessel. They’re signaling that their propulsion systems are heavily damaged and are looking to make repairs.” reports Anari.
”Did they say what the cause of the damage is?” asks Shilov.
”The result of a run in with another vessel.” answers Anari.
”Direct them to docking port 12. Have an engineering team dispatched to offer aid in repairs and ask them if they’d be willing to pass along their sensor data regarding this other ship so we can investigate.” directs Shilov.
”Aye sir!” replies Anari as the comm feed closes.
Turm looks at Shilov with a raised eyebrow. “Are there usually hostile encounters in this region?”
Shilov shakes his head. “Not usually.”
Turm nods as he remarks, “Hopefully this is an isolated incident and quickly resolved.”
”Agreed.” replies Shilov.
Scene 3 USS Mojave
Scene Traits: Small craft interior
The Mojave drops out of warp at the edge of the Sabryth system. The craft begins to swoop towards the inner part of the solar system under impulse power.
”Cadet Durr, sensor readings.” orders Milina. (Durr: Insight + Science (12) - success (10+13))
”Gravimetric distortions detected near the 3rd planet, class M world.” reported Gralik.
”Any idea of the cause?” inquired Milina.
”Not from this distance. If we approach from vector zero two three mark six, I should be able to get a more detailed scan.” answered Gralik as he sends the coordinates to Victoria’s console. Victoria nods and the ship banks to its new heading. After a few moments, the Mojave arrives at the new set of coordinates and Gralik begins to run another scan. A proximity alarm begins to chirp from Ekoor’s station.
”There is a ship closing with us on an intercept course.” reports Ekoor. “I’m not familiar with it’s design.”
Ebesin snaps to action and begins to work her console. She can sense the rising concern from the cadets.
”Open a channel with the ship.” commands Milina. A moment later Ekoor nods that the channel is open.
”Unidentified vessel, this is Milina-Summ of the Federation vessel Mojave. We are here on a scientific mission. Please state the nature of business in this system.”
On the small viewscreen by Milina’s station, the image of an insectoid creature appears. It makes some clicking and hissing noises while the ship’s universal translator works on converting the sounds to recognizable speech. A moment later, the communication is translated.
”… have trespassed into the sacred territory of the Inet’chivy! You will depart now or suffer our wrath!” screeched the alien commander.
”We mean no disrespect to you or your territory.” replies Milina. “Would we be able to request access to this system to complete our scientific work?”
The Inet’chivy commander screeches again and the channel is closed.
”They’re powering up their weapons!” reports Ekoor.
”Raise shields! Try to hail them again.” commands Milina with a hint of panic in her voice. Ebesin can sense she’s more nervus than she’s letting on.
”Shields raise but I can’t get a resp-” begins Ekoor as the Mojave shudders under a disruptor shot. The rising amount of panic from the cadets starts to become uncomfortable to Ebesin. The commander speaks up. “Cadet Milina, I am assuming command now. Victoria, evasive maneuvers. Get us out of here and when you can, jump to warp back to Starbase 88.”
”Aye sir!” responds Victoria as she begins to make the Mojave twist and turn to dodge the incoming disruptor shots.
”Ekoor, send a signal to Starbase 88 to let them know we’ve encountered a hostile species. Gralik, reroute power to aft shields and impulse engines.” commands Ebesin.
The deck rocks violently as the Mojave takes a direct hit. Alarms begin to sound across multiple stations.
”Report!” asks Ebesin as she begins checking her console.
”Direct hit to port nacelle!” reports Milina. “We can’t got to warp!”
”Victoria, come about on vector five six four mark two and push us as fast as you can go!” barks Ebesin.
”Understood!” replies Victoria as she inputs the new commands. The Mojave banks back towards the planet. Victoria can tell the Commander’s plan is to use the debris in the planet’s rings to hopefully lose their pursuers. She bobs and weaves the runabout as best she can, with several disruptor shots narrowly missing the hull. As they approach the planet’s rings, another alarm begins to go off.
”Commander! There is an energy build up coming from the Inet’chivy ship. Looks like they might be preparing to fire some kind of projectile.” Ekoor reports.
”Are they crazy?” sputters Gralik. “Any kind of large energy discharge near these gravimetric waves could cause a massive shockwave!”
”Victoria, I need you to squeeze a little more speed out of those engines. Push it past the red line if you have too.” orders Ebesin. The wave of fear and anticipation from the cadets is almost debilitating, but Ebesin holds it together and pushes through the mental pain.
”Incoming!” yells Ekoor as a bright green pulse launches out from the front of the Inet’chivy ship. Victoria yells “Hold on!” as she punches a series of commands into her console and the Mojave does a barrel roll to starboard narrowly missing the green projectile. The missed shot carries on for a moment before it detonates like a green plasma firework. A shockwave begins to emanate from the blast back towards the Mojave. Everyone onboard is tossed from their seats as the power fluctuates and consoles spark from the impact.
Unseen by the crew of the Mojave, the Inet’chivy ship is also struck by the shockwave and loses power. It begins to drift. Both vessels drift towards to planet
Act 2
Admiral’s Log Supplemental
We’ve received a distress call from the Mojave. Seems they have encountered an aggressive species known as the Inet’chivy. From what we can determine from their message, it seems that this is the same group that attacked our recently docked cargo vessel. I’m dispatching the USS Xiao Huang to respond to the distress call. Hopefully Commander Ebesin and the cadets are ok.
Scene 1 USS Mojave
Scene Traits: Small craft interior, crashed, planet-side
Ebesin is the first to gain consciousness. She rubs the temples of her head as she looks around the cabin of the Mojave. The cadets are strewn across the cabin floor. Kyl begins to stir with a groan which quickly turns into terrified scream. A large chunk of metal protrudes from his thigh. Ebesin quickly moves over to attend to his wound. Unlatching a medkit from under a nearby console, she opens it and pulls out the medical tricorder within. Performing a quick scan, she is relieved to find that it did not hit a major artery. Ebesin quickly grabs a hypo spray and administers it to Kyl to relieve the pain.
Milina begins to stir next. She’s a little disoriented as she pulls herself to her feet, then sits back in her chair. Ebesin comes over to check on her with the tricorder.
”You have a minor concussion.” Ebesin informs Milina. Ebesin grabs another hypospray from the medkit and administers it to Milina. “This should help with the headaches.” Ebesin says.
”Thanks Commander.” Milina replies before inquiring, “What’s our plan?”
Ebesin takes this as a teachable moment. “What do you remember from your academy basics class?”
Milina thinks for a moment. “Asses the crew and the ship, then work on calling for help.”
”Good work. I’ll tend to the other cadets, you can check the ship. Then we’ll call for help.” Ebesin instructs calmly. Milina nods and begins to check her workstation. Ebesin moves over to Gralik, Ekoor, then Victoria. Each of them have some bumps and bruises, but are otherwise fine. She asks Gralik and Victoria to help move Kyl to the back of the Mojave where they can use the conference table as a medical station to get a better look at Kyl’s leg injury. Ekoor offers to join Milina in assessing the Mojave.
Once Kyl is on the table, Ebesin grabs another medkit from the equipment locker. This medkit has more emergency tools than a standard kit, which she hopes will be enough to patch up Kyl’s leg. Ebesin can sense that Kyl is very nervous about having his leg treated.
”It’s alright to be nervous Kyl.” Ebesin says in a calm tone. “But I need you to focus on something else while we treat your leg.”
Kyl nods shakily. “Aye Commander.” he says in a crackling voice.
”Good.” replies Ebesin. “Why don’t we talk about your home? Are you originally from Trillius Prime?”
Kyl nods again then begins to recount his upbringing. “Yes. I… I was born near the Tarsson flats in Ishara.”
Ebesin nods as she begins to take a better scan of Kyl’s leg. “Go on.” Ebesin says with encouragement.
Kyl continued, ”On my sixth birthday my parents got me a pet Androse that I named Plum because of this one large feather that stuck up on the top of it’s head.”
”Oh, those are the thing that looks like a feathered fox from Sol!” Victoria chimed in. Kyl nodded before remarking “Sadly Sol’s foxes are only furry and none of them have feathers.”
Ebesin finished her scan and was ready to operate. She prepped a hypospray sedative for Kyl.
”Alright Kyl,” Ebesin started while placing the hypospray against the base of Kyl’s neck, “I’m going to give you this sedative and then when you wake up, your leg will be better.”
Before Kyl could respond, Ebesin administered the sedative and he passed out on the table. Looking up to the other two cadets Ebesin askes “Have either of you done any field medicine yet?” Gralik raises his hand. “I did an elective course in field medicine last semester.” Ebesin nods and offers the laser scalpel. “Then he’s all yours.” Ebesin and Victoria hold Kyl in place while Gralik begins to try and remove the metal shard and seal the wound. (Durr: Control + Medicine (11) - success (11+12))
As Gralik finishes sealing the wound, the ground trembles under them. Milina calls out from the front of the Mojave, ”Commander, you’d better come see this!”
Scene 2 OPS (Starbase 88)
Scene Traits: Starbase interior, Command Center
Shilov exits from his office and walks over to the central command table where Anari is currently standing. The display on the table currently shows a stellar map of the region with various indications of Federation and Klingon assets, and notable systems. Shilov notes that the Xiao Huang is moving towards the Sabryth system at warp 7 and should reach it’s destination in approximately two hours.
”Admiral Turm is looking for you.” Anari states as Shilov comes to a stop beside her.
”I bet he is.” Shilov replies. “Vulcans don’t show it, but they’re full of emotions just like the rest of us. And I know he is worried about his cadets.”
Anari smiles her large Denobulan smile. “I’m optimistic that the Commander is looking after the cadets if somethings happened.”
Shilov nods in agreement. Ebesin had done a few stints at the Academy teaching linguistics, specifically rhetoric and syntax. He was confident that she would be able to handle the cadets and keep them focused on survival if something had happened.
”What have we gotten from the freighter captain about their attackers, the..” Shilov trailed off trying to recall the species name.
”The Inet’chivy.” Anari says. She pulls up the information on the command table’s screen. “From the Captain’s accounting, they’re an aggressive insectoid species that have laid claim to several systems in this region.” Anari points to the Sabryth system. “This system is apparently newly added to their growing sphere of influence.”
Shilov nods and taps on the sensor reading from the freighter. It pulls up the image of the Inet’chivy ship. The silhouette is rugged and industrial. There is little elegance to its design and shows an asymmetry. The image shows a pair of disruptor bolts launching towards the freighter.
”Looks like they use disruptor based weapons. Have we analyzed the freighter’s damage and crossed referenced it with other similar weapons?” muses Shilov.
”No sir. We hadn’t considered that. Are you expecting to find something?” Anari inquires.
”It’s more I’m hoping to not find something.” Shilov replies as he pulls up the engineering scans of the freighter’s damage. (Shilov: Insight + Security (12) - fail (15+17))
The cross referencing comes back inconclusive. The degradation of the disruptor energy on the ship’s hull was too much to match it to any known disruptor energy from other polities in the region. Shilov frowns at the lack of results.
”Put out a notice to our ships in the region to avoid the Inet’chivy region of space.” Shilov says as he turns to face Anari. “And see if the diplomatic corps can do some outreach to the Inet’chivy. Hopefully we can curb any aggressive expansionism.”
”Aye, sir!” replies Anari as she begins to create the notice.
Scene 3 USS Mojave
Scene Traits: Small craft interior, crashed, planet-side
Ebesin strides to the front of the Mojave to see what Milina was calling for. As she approaches the front cabin, Ebesin gets a good look out the viewport for the first time since coming to on the Mojave. The view beyond the craft is a vast sea of ice. On the horizon, Sabryth III rises, it’s ring up of debris, ice and other rocks reflects the light from the system’s star. In the distance, something large and tendril like protrudes from the ice before sinking back below the surface. Ebesin is broken from the captivating view as another tremor shakes the deck beneath her feet.
”Report Milina.” Ebesin states.
”We’ve assessed the Mojave sir.” Milina begins. “We have life support and a small reserve of power. Sensors sustained moderate damage but still function. Weapons, engines, and shields are offline.”
”Comms function, but we estimate the range is only within the system.” interjects Ekoor.
Ebesin nods, taking in the updates. The deck shakes again.
”Any idea what’s causing the quakes?” Ebesin askes.
”Not yet, but if I can get a hand diverting some more power to the sensors, maybe we can find out.” offers Ekoor.
Ebesin nods and looks to Milina. “Can you lend Ekoor a hand and I’ll see about doing some reconfiguring of the damaged systems to get some better gain from the sensors.”
”Aye, sir!” says Milina as she picks up some tools form the near by console and follows Ekoor into the rear of the craft to work on some of the EPS grids.
Ebesin takes a seat at the science station and begins to reconfigure the system to rely on the less damaged sensor arrays. (Ekoor: Control + Engineering (12) - success (5+7)) The bypass that Ekoor completed reroutes a lot of power to the sensors and helps Ebesin complete her reconfigurations. With the sensors now working closer to optimal, Ebesin takes the opportunity to scan their surroundings.
The results that came back leave her gob smacked. The gravimetric distortions that they had come to record had dissipated. However, a new phenomenon was now encroaching into the system. Ebesin would have missed it if not for the extra power Ekoor had routed to the sensors. Barely detectable was a galactic filament. The sensor data was unmistakable. Ebesin reasons that the gravimetric distortions must have been keeping the filament away, but now that they have dissipated, nothing was keeping it away. To make matters worse, there are signs of a civilization on Sabryth III. The filament would shred the planet asunder if they collided and kill every soul on the planet.
Act 3
Admiral’s Log Supplemental
The Xiao Huang should be reaching the Sabryth system shortly. We still have not received any more transmissions from the Mojave. Admiral Turm is understandably concerned and I’ve reassured him that we will bring his cadets home safe and sound.
Scene 1 USS Mojave
Scene Traits: Small craft interior, crashed, planet-side
Ebesin sits at the science console running some scans and simulations. Milina, Victoria, and Ekoor sit at their stations while Gralik tends to Kyl as he recovers from his injuries.
”Alright everyone,” Ebesin starts as she turns her chair around to face the cadets, “let’s work the problem. What do we have?”
Milina speaks up first. “We have a galactic filament approaching the system that was previously repulsed by gravimetric distortions.”
Ekoor jumps in. “So we need to find a way to push the filament away, either by recreating the gravimetric distortions, or something else?”
Victoria chimes in “Maybe we could dissipate the filament?”
”We don’t have that kind of power.” Interjects Ekoor.
”What about a inverse tetryonic pulse to the planet’s rings? That would create a sub-harmonic state that we could then amplify with a deflector pulse. We would just have to find the right frequency and it would simulate a gravimetric distortion pushing the filament away.
Ebesin enters some data into the science console and runs the simulation. (Ebesin: Insight + Science (14) - success (3+6))
”That looks like the best course of action.” Ebesin begins. “But we are going to have to hope that another starship arrives in time, as we don’t have a working deflector to carry out the plan.”
”What are your orders sir?” Milina asks.
The other cadets look to Ebesin expectantly.
”Work out the specifics of the tetryonic pulse and the frequency for amplification. We’ll need to have this ready to transmit as soon as our rescue arrives so that they can implement it right a-”
Ebesin is cut off as the Mojave rocks violently. The craft has been rocked over the past hour, but this time it is different. A thud hits the viewport as something large rests on top of it.
”What is that!” exclaims Ekoor.
Ebesin gets back into her chair and begins to scan the outside.
”It’s a tentacle.” Ebesin offers. “Looks like there is a giant fauna living below the ice. It must have been drawn to us.”
The craft rocks again as the tentacle shakes the vessel. The sound of ice cracking can be heard in the cabin.
”I think it’s trying to pull us under!” Milina exclaims.
”Options?” Ebesin barks.
”Make it so we aren’t appetizing.” offers Victoria as the hull begins to screech under the pressure of the tentacle wrapping tighter around the Mojave.
”We could electrify the hull. That should give the thing a shock.” offers Ekoor.
Ebesin nods as the ship rocks again. “Make it happen!” she commands.
Ekoor dashes to a rear power hatch in the cabin and opens it up. “I’d not touch anything except the carpet.” he says as he pulls out some of the cabling and begins to feed it into some different ports. The rest of the crew move to the middle of the cabin, away from the consoles and the hull. (Ekoor: Daring + Engineering (10) - success (5+8))
Ekoor jams the final cable into a port that it was not designed to go into. A loud primordial screech reverberates from beneath the Mojave as the tentacle releases the ship and recedes into the depths below the ice field. Ekoor then removes the cable from the port he’d jammed it in and safely caps it before closing the panel.
”Alright then,” Ebesin starts, “I think it’ll think twice now before trying to eat us again. Lets get to work on those calculations so that everything’s ready to go when we get rescued.”
Scene 2 Prominade (Starbase 88)
Scene Traits: Starbase interior, Public space, Recreational area
Shilov walks through the open courtyard area in the heart of the Prominade. It’s been designed to resemble a forested park with various shop fronts lining the perimeter. An artificial sunny sky displays overhead using holo-projector technology. The light cycle is designed to be paired with the starbase’s chronometer to simulate a day and night cycle. The station residents have taken up calling the Prominade the “Oasis”. Shilov notes that he agrees with the nickname, as it is a tranquil escape from the more artificial nature of the rest of the station.
Down the path ahead of Shilov, the alien captain of the freighter and some members of his crew are enjoying a area of the park with some benches and tables. They look to be having a meal together before heading out. Some of the crew are poking the plants and trees to try and determine if they are real or synthetic, while the captain seems to be going over a duty roster with another member of his crew.
Shilov isn’t wholly familiar with their species. Anari said they call themselves the U’vak. They’re humanoid with a green and purple tint to their skin. Shilov figures there must be an aquatic ancestry to them as their are some thin fin like membranes that run parallel from the top of their heads down their backs. The captain is easily a larger specimen with broad shoulders and a hulking form, but the general physicality of the other crew of more lean and slender.
Shilov walks up and introduces himself with a pleasant smile as he offers his hand.
”Good afternoon. I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself yet. I’m Rear Admiral Shilov Th’rovoq. I hope you’ve been enjoying our hospitality as the repairs are being completed on your vessel.”
The alien captain looks up from his conversation and nods as he stands to shake Shilov’s hand. Shilov notices that his eyes blink from sideways instead of the up and down like Andorians, Vulcans, or Humans. The captain is easily a foot taller than him causing Shilov to look up to catch his gaze.
”Ah, Admiral!” the captain starts in a jovial tone. “Thank you so much for your hospitality. We haven’t had much dealings with your Federation before this encounter. My name is Randruk.”
Shilov motions for them to sit at the table and they each take a seat.
”It’s nice to meet you Randruk. I was hoping I’d get a chance to talk with you about this region of space. The Federation is relatively new to the area and we’re always striving to be good neighbors.” says Shilov with a warm smile.
”Well I’m glad some of you are trying.” Randruk says with a grunt. “It’s been getting a little more difficult with some of the other ‘neighbors’ that have been moving in.”
Randruk takes a sip of his drink.
”We’ll we’ve just heard about the Inet’chivy thanks to you. They sound a little territorial.” remarks Shilov.
”Ha!” Randruk laughs as he slams his drink on the table. “That is an understatement! Those nietchiave are very short tempered. And their ships can pack a punch! But they’ve only recently started to expand their territory.”
”You don’t say.” replies Shilov with a bemused tone.
”Yea! There’s talk that the Inet’chivy have been dealing with some other species. Getting new technology that’s been fueling their expansion.” Randruk starts as he lowers his voice and leans in towards Shilov. “We’ve had dealings with the Inet’chivy before, but this is the first time they’ve done such damage to our ship. My crew are starting to worry that our livelihood is in jeopardy.”
Shilov also leans in and speaks softly. “Do you have any idea who’s supplying them?”
Randruk seems a little unsure if he should answer. Shilov makes an offer. “If you can help us identify who might be supplying the Inet’chivy with new technology, I can look into your claim and also redirect our patrols to help secure the area.” (Shilov: Presence + Command (14) - success (9+17))
After a moment of consideration Randruk nods and offers up what he knows. “Word from the other trade captains is that some large Empire has been moving into the area. I haven’t encountered them, but I’ve heard they’re also the aggressive type. They apparently can appear out of nowhere and strike before fading into nothing. It’s been spooking my crew and others in the trading guild. I’m not sure if you can track ghosts, but maybe some of your patrols will help shine some light on them.”
Shilov nods and sits back. “Before you depart, if you can share any star charts with my staff, I’ll be sure to get some extra patrols in those effected areas. Maybe we can uncover what’s been going on.”
Shilov stands up and begins to head back down the path. Before he leaves, he addresses Randruk and his crew. “I hope the rest of your stay here is enjoyable, and I wish you safe travels.”
Scene 3 USS Mojave
Scene Traits: Small craft interior, crashed, planet-side
An alarm beeps from a console in the cabin. Gralik is closest and checks the alert. The sensors have detected a ship dropping out of warp. Checking the readout, Gralik’s face lights up and he turns to address the others in the cabin.
”It’s a Federation ship! The…” Gralik looks back to the sensor readout, “… the USS Xiao Huang!”
Ebesin breaths a sign of relief. “Milina, would you care to do the honors.” offers Ebesin.
Milina nods and looks over to Gralik. “Open a channel to the Xiao Huang.”
Gralik replies “Aye, sir!” as he begins to open the hailing frequencies.
Milina clears her throat before speaking. “Xiao Huang, this is the Mojave. Are we glad to see you!”
A moment later, the face of Denobulan captain appears on the view screen. Ebesin recognizes Asha and nods from behind Milina. Asha looks at the scene of cadets and Ebesin and offers a warm smile.
”I’m glad you’re all still in one piece.” says Asha. “You’ve had Admiral Turm worried sick after we lost contact.”
The cadets share a little chuck at the thought of the stoic Admiral Turm having any kind of emotional response.
”We do still have a situation.” Milina starts as she nods to Gralik to transfer their work on the filament. “There is a galactic filament that is moving into range of the this planet as a result of the dissipation of the gravimetric distortion we came to examine. We believe that using an inverse tetryonic pulse on the planet’s rings would create a sub-harmonic state that could then be further amplify with a deflector pulse with a frequency of 56.26 megajoules to simulate a gravimetric distortion pushing the filament away.”
There is a momentary pause as Asha waits for her science officer to check the science. Asha nods back after it’s been approved.
”Understood Mojave.” Asha starts. “We’ll make the necessary modifications to our deflector dish and then proceed.”
There is a flurry of action behind Asha as her crew begin to move on the modifications.
”Meanwhile, sit tight while we take care of this. Xiao Huang out.”
The cadets watch from the view ports as the Reliant-class vessel gracefully swoops over head of the Mojave and heads towards the asteroid belt. A moment later a beam of light leaps from the Xiao Huang and begins to blanket Sabryth III’s rings. (Asha: Control + Science (14) - success (5+17))
As the cadets watch, the rings of Sabryth III begin to glow a bluish purple. The light from the systems star gives them a shimmer that sparkles like diamonds in the dark of space. A short while later, the Xiao Huang swings back into view. The familiar blue glow of the tractor beam envelops the Mojave and they can feel the craft be lifted of the moon’s surface and brought towards the shuttlebay.
Ebesin can feel the wave of relief and jubilation as the cadets cheer and hug each other. She’s very proud of how they handled themselves during this mission.
Conclusion
With the cadets returned safe and sound, Admiral Turm gave his thanks to Shilov and the crew of the Xiao Huang for their efforts. Turm was also very impressed with the cadets cool under difficult circumstances and that they had been able to spend their time waiting for rescue working out a solution to a larger problem. The Admiral also offered Commander Ebesin strong praise for her ability to manage the situation with the cadets and that she was a testament to what it means to be a Starfleet officer.
Shilov shared what he had learned from his conversation with Randruk with Turm and aired his suspicion that the Klingon Empire might be arming some of the local polities in an effort to destabilize the region. Tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire had recently been on the rise, and it wouldn’t have been the first time the Klingons had armed other species to use as proxies. Turm agreed with Shilov’s suspicions and agreed to take that information back to Starfleet Command quietly.